Past (Happy New Year)

"That was a very long time ago—so long that even your big sister here has nearly forgotten what happened back then."

As though they were merely taking a leisurely stroll through Xiangqin Pavilion, Xu Yuan followed behind Lou Ji, quietly listening as she recounted the past.

Lou Ji's voice still carried its usual flirtatious, laughing lilt, but today, Xu Yuan caught something else beneath that smile.

Tonight, she was somewhat melancholy.

That sword-light still stretched across the heavens.

Frost covered the rockeries, ice sealed the emerald pool, and their footsteps made no sound upon the snow.

The two walked slowly.

Xu Yuan had tried to learn about the stories experienced by the previous generation, but what he had obtained was exceedingly limited.

Most of the information had already become distorted.

Just as what was recorded in history books was not necessarily true history, whether to preserve reputations, maintain secrecy, or for some other reason, the written records concerning that generation conflicted in many ways with the Prime Minister's Mansion internal files Xu Yuan had read.

The Prime Minister's Mansion internal files he had read would not be falsified, so those official records were certainly false. Yet while the internal files could be trusted, their contents were limited.

They recorded only scattered, complicated fragments of past events. Though Xu Yuan had vaguely glimpsed one corner of the story from those years, that was all—and it was not even as comprehensive as the information he could glean from casual chats with the Prime Minister's Mansion higher-ups at home.

Tonight was the first time Xu Yuan had gained a full understanding of this elder sister's past.

Lou Ji's origins were not low at all. Even within this feudal dynasty, she could be called someone far above the common people.

Her father had served